Liquid Series Laird Thermoelectric Assemblies Mounting
Some common questions may be asked for recommendations regarding mounting. What are the six holes on the outside used for? What are the three holes down the center? Should you use thermal pads/thermal epoxy? What are the torque recommendations?
The six holes around the outside are for customers to use for mounting.
The three down the center are used to compress the assembly together on the TEMs. They come up from under and have screw ends in them.
All mounting screws should have spring washers to hold compression when mounting to the cold block. As temperature varies, metals expand, contract, they should have spring washers to hold compression, for that reason.
A thermal pad or grease should always be used between two surfaces if the maximum heat is to be transferred. No matter how flat the surfaces are, there is always a point to point contact and the pad or grease will fill the microscopic air gaps.
The torque specification is really up to the customer and the pad manufacturer. The thermoelectric modules recommend a torque to achieve 250 to 300PSI of compression on a TEM. If grease is used, we recommend retorquing after grease has pumped out maybe an hour or two later. The Thermoelectric Handbook has much of this stated inside. It has calculations for torque, all the basics and more on Thermoelectrics.
Checkout the Handbook
Thermoelectric Handbook | The World Leader in Thermal Management Solutions (lairdthermal.com)